Cup of coffee in the big time: AEW rally continued to shift the wrestling landscape

Chris Jericho. Joey Janela. Equal pay for men and women. Wins and losses that matter.

There is plenty to get excited about after the All Elite Wrestling rally.

I’ve already written about the benefit of a competition for wrestling and that competition does not have to mean a battle for number one.

But we’re seeing the landscape start to form in front of us with the announcements from AEW, departures from NJPW, signings by WWE, etc. And the outlook is pretty exciting.

Tony Khan says the goal is to aid in ushering in a new golden age of wrestling for fans and wrestlers alike and that’s something we should all want.

As I said on last week’s Bitter Boys Club podcast with “All Ego” Ethan Page, a successful AEW does benefit everyone in the wrestling bubble. More money and opportunities for wrestlers make for better events, better security for the men and women risking their health and a more enticing environment for talented athletes who may consider pro wrestling a possible outlet for their talents.

That’s all long-term thinking, though. There’s a long way to go before AEW proves any sort of sustainability, and it appears for the short-term they’re looking at a very measured pace for events.

Seeing if Double or Nothing can continue the momentum of ALL IN and the excitement of all the recent AEW announcements is going to be exciting. As will seeing what a promotion with equal pay and an increased amount of care for the workers looks like.

It’s a fun time to be a wrestling fan, and one of those moments in this weird hobby that could define the future.

• Check out the recap and reactions for SmackDown Live as well as the video highlights.
• We have plenty of coverage of AEW, including notes from the rally, a look at the stacked talent roster and more on Jericho signing with the promotion.
• Raw’s ratings bumped up a bit despite being up against the college football national championship.
• News on Batista’s future?
• Braun Strowman might not be cleared to wrestle yet.
• Is 2019 Sasha Banks’ year?

Halfway through the week, y’all!